LALS Program

LALS Program

By minoring in LALS, you can complement a major by studying the languages, cultures, peoples, and nations of Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Iberian Atlantic World. In addition, our program explores U.S. Latina/o communities in the United States, which gives you an understanding about how our domestic reality is related to and distinct from its international origins. Because the LALS Program is interdisciplinary in its course offerings, students can tailor their studies in the minor to meet their individual interests and needs.

Through this program, students can plan and implement a concentration that best serves their postgraduate goals — whether these include a career in business, government, education, foreign service, foreign languages, or postgraduate studies.

LALS Minor

The minor requires 18 credit hours distributed in the following manner:

• Five courses (3 credits each for a total of 15 credit hours) in two or more of the following areas: anthropology, English, foreign language studies, global studies, history, political science, secondary education, sociology, and/or theology;
• One senior capstone course (3 credits) from the following two options: LALS 480 Senior Capstone Seminar, or LALS 481 Senior Capstone Project.
• Students will also pursue one of two tracks in LALS:
  • Track 1 – Latin American Studies focuses primarily on the region of Latin America and the Caribbean. This track has a language requirement, which is normally fulfilled by taking at least two SPN courses (SPN 212 or higher).
  • Track 2 – Latina/o Studies focuses primarily on those of Latina/o descent in the U.S. This track has no language requirement, although such study is encouraged.

LALS in the Academic Catalog
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LALS Courses

AMS 218 – Multicultural America: Racism, Ethnicity, and Immigration History in the Contemporary United States	APG 321 Latin America: Mexico and Central America
APG 322 Latin America: South America	APG 470 Latin American Anthropology
EDU 470 Selected Topics in Education	EDU 471 Gender, Race, Ethnicity & Class Issues in Education
ENG 241 Introduction to Latinx Literature	ENG 441 Studies in Literature (e.g. The Neighborhood in Latino Literature; and Contemporary Caribbean Transnational Literature)
HIS 215 Diversity of Latin American Religious History	HIS 230 Early and Colonial Latin American History
HIS 231 Modern Latin American History	LAS 460 Tutorial 1-4 credits
LAS 480 Senior Capstone Seminar	LAS 481 Senior Capstone Project
LAS 495 Independent Study 1-3 credits	PSC 336 Latin American Politics
PSC 416 Race and Politics in the Americas	PSC 456 Model Organization of American States
PSC 470 Special Topics (e.g. Politics of Resource Extraction)	PSC 484 Seminar on Latin America
PSC 485 Seminar on American Politics	SOC 305 Race and Ethnic Relations
SOC 354 Immigration	SOC 355 Comparative Race and Inequality
SOC 470 Special Topics (e.g. Latino Experience, Latin American Society)	SPN 205 – Spanish for Heritage Speakers
SPN 212 Hispanic Civilizations	SPN 310 Spanish Phonetics
SPN 321 Survey of Spanish-American Literature	SPN 322 Survey of Spanish-American Literature
SPN 370 Special Topics in Hispanic Studies	SPN 401 Spanish Literature of the Golden Age: The Renaissance
SPN 402 Spanish Literature of the Golden Age: 17th Century Spain on the Stage	SPN 406 Contemporary Spanish Prose
SPN 407 Twentieth-Century Spanish Drama	SPN 408 Contemporary Spanish- American Novel
SPN 417 Spanish-American Literature	SPN 418 Spanish-American Novel
SPN 450 Internship in Hispanic Studies	SPN 490 Independent Study